1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a plug socket for relays and more particularly to a plug socket for relays having flat plugs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Plug sockets which receive at least one relay having flat plugs are known in the art. A typical plug socket comprises a base member of plastic in which contact chambers proceeding in the plug-in direction are formed. Plug in slots open toward the upper side of the base member proceeding therefrom for the acceptance of the flat plugs, and the contact chambers open toward the underside of the base member for receiving spring tongue pairs projecting fork-shaped upwardly into the region of the plug-in slots for the insertion of contact jacks, whereby the contact chambers respectively comprise retro-salient patch channels for the acceptance and locking of catch tongues at opposite side regions, said catch tongues being branched off from the correspondingly opposite outsides of the contact jacks.
Plug sockets are employed, for example, in automotive electronics. Standard dimensions have developed out particularly for use in automotive electronics. For example, flat plugs have standard widths of 6.3 mm, 4.8 mm and 2.8 mm. Corresponding to the standard plug dimensions, standard dimensions have also developed for the contact chambers in the plug sockets and for the contact jacks within the contact chambers. Contact jacks of a type standard are in plug-type connectors usually employed.
A contact jack employing two-sided latching via catch tongues is shown, in general terms in DE 88 11 020 U1. Due to the two-sided latching of the contact jack, the contact chambers including the catch channels require substantially more space in the transverse direction relative to the plug plane than would be required by the plug thickness and the spring tongues. This has an effect on the spacing of neighboring plug slots.
Standard dimensions have likewise developed for the outside contours and for the terminal configuration of relays in automobiles. Automobile relays normally have four or five connection plugs, namely two terminals for the coil and two terminals for a make contact or break contact or, three terminals for the change-over contact. In standard relays, there is adequate space for five standard terminals in the corresponding plug sockets, whereby standard dimensions have also developed for the contact chambers. However, more and more space problems arise for installation given the constantly increasing number of relays that are utilized in automobiles. Since, the high break capacities that a standard relay handles are not required for many applications, miniaturized relay types have been developed that cover approximately half the area of a standard relay, so that installation space is saved by employing them. This, however, should occur such that the two miniature relays can be accommodated on the space of a standard relay, so that the overall grid of the relay terminal units can be retained. For two relays having only one make contact or break contact, the corresponding contact chambers can be accommodated without further ado in a plug socket having standard dimensions. For relays with change-over contact, by contrast, difficulties arise in accommodating three contact chambers having standard dimensions with corresponding standard plug jacks on the available space, since these plug jacks latched at both sides require a relatively greater width, as mentioned above.
It has in fact already been disclosed thereto to employ plug jacks having only single-sided latching, as shown, for example, in said EP 0 007 709 B1. Such an embodiment would manage with less the width of the contact chambers but does not offer the desired security of a two-sided latching. An additional, secondary securing in a plug connector housing is also shown in this document.